Letters from Assynt - Issue 2 - People and Place

ISSUE 2 — PEOPLE AND PLACE

COVER: DEVELOPMENT DRAWINGS FOR ANORDAIN BY NEIL GILLESPIE - REIACH AND HALL ARCHITECTS

WELCOME to the second edition of Letters from Assynt: the magazine from anOrdain. It’s our place to share with you what we’re working on, what we’re thinking about, how we’re developing as a company, and what we hold dear to our hearts. I hope you enjoy reading it.

It’s fair to say that a lot has happened since we published the first issue in 2020. Our team has doubled in size, bringing all the joys and complications that come with scaling up – and we’ve seen a similar swelling of our order books too. Thanks to a little good press, a waiting list became the only way to manage the fresh demand for enamel dials, shifting the landscape of anOrdain right before our eyes.

New enamellers continue to be trained, and our output is slowly increasing; but we remain thankful for the patience and goodwill of our customers!

Beyond the workshop, we’ve watched the world change markedly amid the turbulence of the current era, and the mounting shortages of so much that we all need – food, gas, homes. Of course, watches very much fall outside the ‘essentials’ category, but the impact upon the manufacturing industry is certainly something we’ve felt, frustrating plans and delaying projects (including, as it happens, this magazine).

It’s why we wanted to focus this issue of Letters from Assynt on what we really do have in great supply, and in which we find so much value and sanctuary: people and place. Let’s continue to nurture both.

Lewis Heath founder of anOrdain

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LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

FROM THE STUDIO

SALLY MORRISON

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FRESH FACES

PARISIAN BLUE

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CONTENTS

LIQUID TIME

POLYTUNNEL VISION

MOVING WITH THE TIMES

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TOM’S WORKSHOP

THERMAL BLUING

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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FROM THE STUDIO

New watches, developments and discoveries...

still working out exactly how to do that.

Partnering with such a prominent media outlet was our way of planting our flag in the ground, with what’s both an original technique and one of the most skilful and demanding things we’ve produced to date.

THE MODEL 3 HAND-ENGRAVED SUNBURST We recently entered uncharted territory for anOrdain, launching a special edition with Hodinkee. This saw the debut of a new (and rather spectacular) sunburst dial technique we’ve been developing for the past two years. The watch also marks the first official outing for our Model 3 case.

What is it?

The watch in question combines three decorative styles in a single effect that is, we believe, a first in watchmaking. It features a sunburst pattern – common enough, but normally achieved in a machine process that involves spinning and brushing the dial. Our sunburst, however, has been hand-engraved: every miniscule score (around 1,120 of them) radiating from the centre is cut individually by hand. This is then layered up with coloured enamel. It’s a simple idea: sunburst + hand-engraving + enamel. But the result is disarmingly beautiful, incredibly demanding to create, and unlike anything else we’ve seen.

Generally, we’ve been wary of doing limited editions, particularly since we launched our build slot system to cope with soaring demand. That system includes a commitment to making available to our customers any style we currently make; and so in time we want to make this sunburst technique available too. But since the technique is so onerous that we’re only able to make twelve of these dials a year (at most), we’re

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FROM THE STUDIO

Only one member of the team can engrave to this level – because of the taxing nature of the engraving, she alternates her days between enamelling and engraving.

What’s involved?

Each dial takes approximately 100 hours of skill and concentration to complete. It’s one of the most labour intensive processes we’ve ever used, but it’s been a joy seeing these come to life over the past two years.

In that time, we’ve made just 25 finished dials. Bear in mind that two out of three dials we engrave never even get finished: on average we need three dials to produce one finished enamelled piece, due to the failure rate associated with enamel.

The engraving is done using a tool called a graver, which is drawn with absolute precision across the dial surface – it has to be sharpened several times throughout each dial’s engraving process, to keep the lines consistent. The graver both cuts and polishes the metal with each stroke, and the result is incomparable.

We’ve tried all the other methods in an attempt to make a more producible alternative, but nothing comes close.

How do you engrave a sunburst?

Each dial starts as a solid silver disc cut by hand in our workshop. With the centre marked to ensure concentricity, the engraving process can begin. It’s a physically exhausting process which requires complete concentration for hours on end: each blank takes over two days to complete.

The colour, chosen by Hodinkee based on a palette of enamels best suited to the fine engraved texture, has an ocular quality, reminiscent of a steely iris.

THE MODEL 3 HAND-ENGRAVED SUNBURST LIMITED EDITION FOR HODINKEE

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LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

THE MODEL 2 REVISITED Initially launched in 2019, the revised Model 2 is the second iteration of our take on the classic field watch. The original design fused robust functionality with contemporary elegance, making the Model 2 ruggedly practical while maintaining enough style to go from deer stalk to dinner table.

to the plate: available in two sizes: 36mm and 39.5mm, each, of course, featuring a seconds hand. In addition to the new sweeping seconds, we’ve made updates to the handset itself. Maintaining the aesthetic of the original Model 2, we set about researching the feasibility of applying luminescent paint to the blued steel. We entered this with trepidation, never having seen it done before, but it turned out a specialist Swiss manufacturer was able to help, and the finished result provides both maximal elegance and legibility. The only downside is that it increases our rejection rate, as the lume prevents the hands from being reworked if the steel scratches.

We’re always looking to progress, though, and we always listen to the feedback we get from customers and friends alike. For all that we love those early Model 2 watches, eventually we decided it was time for the watch to evolve.

So, in August 2021, we said goodbye to the first generation of the Model 2 with a special runout edition – the Brown Fumé.

With its spectacular, sparkling resin hues, the last iteration of the original Model 2 also marked the final fumé dial of the collection.

On the dial, a refined layout and additional minute track enhance the watch’s functionality and readability. New enamel colours give our revised Model 2 a more grounded aesthetic, reflecting its purpose as a watch for the great outdoors.

The Model 2 now comes in Medium and Large and in four colours - Racing Green, White, Grey Haar and Flax.

NEW MODEL 2 MEDIUM AND LARGE RACING GREEN

Two of the most common comments we’d seen regarding the Model 2 included calls for a larger size and the inclusion of a seconds hand. The new Model 2 steps up

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NEW MODEL 1 IN SMALL, MEDIUM AND LARGE

FROM THE STUDIO

SCALING THE MODEL 1 2022 marked the fourth anniversary of our opaque Model 1 collection, which has undergone considerable changes since its debut in 2018. In 2020, we introduced a design transformation that saw revisions primarily to its case, hands and typography.

Between then and now, we’ve also had to reluctantly part ways with certain colours as we continually make adjustments to hone our enamelling techniques.

developed a small and a large case for the collection, to sit alongside the 38mm size.

But this wasn’t just a matter of putting the drawing under a shrink ray or ‘giganticiser’ (we have Sally to thank for this word; her trademark is pending); there are many subtleties to consider when scaling a pre-existing design. We wanted each case to feel right on the wrist, not allowing the bezel to become too chunky or the lugs too spindly. Then, there was the matter of the enamel dials. A larger surface area on the dial means more scope for things to go wrong and thus a higher rejection rate.

The watches now in the Model 1 collection are the staple pieces that continue to stand the test of time: our evergreen Iron Cream, the elegant Parisian Blue, a vibrant Teal and the new Japanese Oxblood.

The opaque Model 1 collection is now also available in 35mm and 41mm cases in addition to the standard size of 38mm.

While the new variations differ in size, the depth of colour of the enamelled dials remain the same. The next step?

A small and large Model 1 Fumé.

Paying attention to the feedback received from the watch community and our customers over the past few years, we arrived at the conclusion that there was scope to elaborate further on the Model 1. This time the changes are to do with scale: we’ve 7

EUAN ASSEMBLES AN LJP G100 MOVEMENT

LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

LA JOUX-PERRET We've been on a journey to find a movement manufacturer that can suit our needs as a smaller business. Most Swiss manufacturers cater to companies able to order quantities in their thousands, which is an issue for us, producing at the scale that we do. However, La Joux-Perret is not like most manufacturers. Founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds in the 1990s (and owned

by Citizen since 2012), it’s renowned for creating high-quality movements befitting modern and conscientious watchmaking (check out Arnold & Son, its sister brand, for its incredible work in haute horlogerie).

drop-in replacement for a number of Sellita movements, and is set to replace our use of the SW200. Despite being relatively new to the market, the G100 is a robust and high-beat movement with an impressive power reserve of 68 hours. This is undoubtedly a gift to any user who might want to switch up their watch over the weekend, meaning it pairs well with the diverse lifestyles and preferences of casual wearers and watch enthusiasts alike. We envision a long-term partnership with La Joux Perret that brings substantial benefit to both us and you, with the prospect of a steady supply of trustworthy and higher-value movements in the long run.

LJP’s new automatic movement, the G100, is perfect for us as it offers a 8

FROM THE STUDIO

NEW TOYS to dive straight into her work, cutting wheels and gears for a special movement project. While working with the machine is nothing new to her, the fastidiously neat Naïs reports that operating a neverbefore-used model has been a great luxury. “My experience doing lathe work until now had been with the used and (occasionally) abused ones at school; being able to operate something brand new is a noticeable improvement.”

After some hiccups with a temperamental second-hand Schaublin 70 lathe, our in-house micro-mechanics whiz, Naïs Hamelin, has been having great success on a brand new Schaublin 70 CF. In order to house Naïs and the lathe, we’ve set up a new workshop in a rented unit close by, where she is working alongside some other members of the team.

There is, of course, a practical reason for their exile; the hefty lathe proved a near impossibility to transport up to our fourth-floor studio, and with other incoming bulky machinery, a ground-floor workshop made good sense. While this means they’re a little further away in the short term, it allows us greater flexibility as both our team and toolbox grows.

Cutting gears to precision is a tricky business, but Naïs is helped here by another piece of kit, acquired thanks to Struthers Watchmakers. Our antique profile projector allows her to compare the lathe-cut gears (like tiny Roman coins) against A3 printouts of technical drawings to determine their accuracy.

Having graduated from The British School of Watchmaking in Manchester, Naïs’s familiarity with the lathe has allowed her

NAÏS WORKING ON THE SCHAUBLIN LATHE

We look forward to sharing more of Naïs’s work with you soon!

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LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

The Fabrik collection continues our partnership with Cador, forming a new series of non-limited watches in a range of semimatte and transparent coloured lacquers, offering an alternative look at the Model 1. In the Fabrik Model 1 GMT, we also introduce our first watch with a complication of any kind.

INTRODUCING THE MODEL 1 FABRIK Since we started anOrdain, the craft of enamel dial-making is what we’ve been all about. However, we’ve long thought about other directions we could take our cartography-inspired aesthetic, and the different types of watches we could offer while staying true to our creative spirit.

With the brand new Fabrik collection, that’s what we’ve set out to do.

From the German for ‘factory’, the name Fabrik is a nod to the impeccable quality of these made-in-Germany dials.

The Model 1 Fabrik The Fabrik series has allowed us to explore the colour possibilities offered by lacquer, which can produce a wide spectrum of tones and finishes. The Fabrik Model 1 is a version of our 38mm Model 1 watch, with three new pastel colour options: Salmon, Blue and Off-White, all with a subtle, matte texture. To achieve this, multiple layers of semi-opaque lacquer are sprayed with great precision onto the dial surface before the dial is cured and printed.

Many readers will recognise that this takes forward something we began investigating in 2020, when pandemic lockdowns forced us to suspend enamel production temporarily.

That’s when we developed the Precious Metals Series, a run of 150 watches based on the non-limited Model 1, with dials plated in white gold, red gold and black rhodium.

The dials for those watches were produced

by Cador, a German dial manufacturer recognised as one of the finest in the business, and supplier to many highprestige brands. If you're interested in premium European and British watch brands, the chances are you've come across a Cador dial before.

MODEL 1 FABRIK SALMON, BLUE AND OFF-WHITE

The muted tones are inspired by the shades and details of the same antique Ordnance Survey maps of the Scottish Highlands that have informed the typography and style of all our watches. The contour lines on those old OS maps also inspired another

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THE MODEL 1 FABRIK GMT

FROM THE STUDIO

key detail of the Fabrik watches: the concentric grooves, which bring a sense of depth and texture to the outer dial.

case and typographic style of the Model 1, the new function of the Fabrik GMT would require the development of a clear and engaging design language of its own right.

When the dials arrive in Scotland, the rest of the watch is then assembled like any other anOrdain model: our watchmakers thermally treat the handset before the assembly and regulation of each piece. The movement used for the Fabrik series is the LJP-G101, a new high-beat offering from La JouxPerret which provides increased accuracy and features Côte de Genève decoration.

Repeating the concentric contour grooves and inspired by the function of the complication, a sunken inner dial displays 24-hour markings. Multiple layers of transparent deep purple lacquer accentuate this texture and highlight the sun-brushed finish on the outer dial.

A combination of finishes is again employed in the handset, with a brushed steel GMT hand creating a textural contrast against the matte white varnish of the hour, minute and seconds hands. The overall vibrancy of the Fabrik GMT sets itself apart from the more muted tones of the three handed Model 1s of the collection, which we feel rounds out the collection nicely.

The Model 1 Fabrik GMT It would seem an aesthetic inspired by cartography would make a GMT Model 1 an expected (and perhaps overdue) step.

However, while adding an extra hand to an existing design is - in theory - easy enough, it’s something we’ve struggled with until now due to the limitations of movements compatible with our enamel dials.

Although enamel remains our core activity, the Fabrik collection is an exciting moment to diversify the range and explore a new material that offers opportunities not so easily produced in enamel. This is a new direction for us, and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

In creating the Fabrik series, these thinner dials have allowed us to finally use the ETA 2893, a movement some might call an “office GMT” - a 24-hour GMT hand set in onehour increments from the crown. With the

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FRESH FACES We’ve welcomed seven new members to our Glasgow workshop, each bringing something exciting to anOrdain.

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LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

In January 2021 we welcomed Naïs, the latest addition to anOrdain's watchmaking team. Hailing from Metz, North East France, Naïs is a graduate of the British School of Watchmaking in Manchester and brings a wealth of experience to the team - as well as exuding effortless levels of cool that are exclusive to the French.

NAÏS HAMELIN

Heading up our R&D department, in the studio Naïs works between CAD and the Schaublin 70 lathe, developing prototypes and movement complications, news on which we hope to be sharing with you soon!

In February 2021 our newest photographer and graphic designer, Scott, joined the team. Originally from Edinburgh, Scott grew up in Dunfermline, Fife before returning to his hometown to study at Edinburgh College of Art.

SCOTT MCCLURE

His work has taken him from Paris to Berlin, working in creative direction, photography and graphic design.

With his impeccable eye for detail, we’re thrilled to have him on board.

In March 2021, the enamellers welcomed their fourth team member, Cara. With an extensive education in design, studying jewellery at the City of Glasgow College and Three-Dimensional Design at Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University, Cara completed her MFA in Glass at Edinburgh College of Art in 2018.

CARA LOUISE WALKER

Here, she worked on her own project, Essence of Nostalgia, a visual representation of olfactory recall (memories ignited by scent).

Sponsored by Penhaligon’s London, her project incorporated exquisite glass blowing and core casting work. Now, as part of anOrdain, she’s looking forward to learning new processes and being part of the creative team.

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FRESH FACES

In May 2022, we welcomed our second Cara, who brings a new skill set to the team. A Glasgow School of Art graduate, Cara’s focus during her studies was on kinetic jewellery - of course, involving research into watch design. After graduating, she worked parttime as a cleaner, spending the remainder of her week learning metal engraving under the celebrated silversmith Malcolm Appleby.

CARA ZÖE SMITH

At anOrdain, Cara employs what she’s learnt under Malcolm Appleby, allowing us to expand our experimentation with texture and enamel. She also radiates a pleasant faerie folklore energy that soothes the workshop.

With the onset of winter 2021, Sarah came on board. Our fifth enameller and the third to graduate from Glasgow School of Art’s Silversmithing and Jewellery course, she is (as is a prerequisite for the enamelling team) effervescently friendly and tremendously skilled.

SARAH MURDOCH

Her work involves the use of a technique called sgraffito, where enamel is layered on metal and scratched back to form surface illustrations and patterns before firing.

Since September 2022, the energetic, engaged and organised Hazel has been coordinating office life and Lewis’s calendar, bringing order and logic to both. Previously having worked with Scottish Ballet in the planning and implementing of conferences and youth dance workshops, Hazel is currently balancing her work at anOrdain with her role as a youth representative for a charity championing racial equality in Scotland.

HAZEL PETERS

She’s also applying to study sociology and anthropology at university, alongside journalism commissions and submissions to publications. If there’s time left in her busy schedule, she might be found in ballet, jazz or tap shoes!

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LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

A month after the invasion of Ukraine, Martin reached out to us. Having fled Kyiv with his wife and children, he wanted to know if anOrdain required an enameller with 20 years of experience. Well, of course! Able to take just a handful of items with him when he left, Martin arrived at the workshop and charmed us immediately by emptying them all onto the workbench: his favourite tools, enamel powders, and impressively elaborate jewellery.

TOP: MARTIN'S ENAMEL STUDIO IN KYIV RIGHT: MARTIN’S ENAMEL SAMPLES

MARTIN KOVAL

A third-generation enameller, Martin’s natural aptitude for the material has helped him quickly adapt his extensive cloisonné, champlevé and plique-a-jour skills to the hidden complexities that come with producing a perfectly flat polished round disc.

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FRESH FACES

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SALLY MORRISON Sally Morrison joined anOrdain in August 2018, one week before the launch of the company’s first watch, the Model 1.

In this edition of Meet the Maker, Sally talks us through her journey, from cheesemonger to talented enameller.

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Hailing from Glasgow’s southside, Sally Morrison began her creative career studying Jewellery and Silversmithing at the Edinburgh College of Art, gaining a diverse range of work experience along the way.

“Before joining anOrdain, I worked as a cheesemonger, a self-employed jeweller and a costume-prop maker for a television drama.”

Enticed by the combination of craftspeople and designers working closely together within the same space, Sally started at anOrdain in 2018. “As a jeweller,” she says, “your employment options mean that you usually fall into one of those two camps. While my role is definitely that of a maker, it’s brilliant to be aware of and to be involved in the design process. There’s such a degree of reciprocity between the two.”

“It was only a couple of years after finishing my degree that I became interested in practising traditional jewellery making skills again, and I started to work with precious metals. Some traditional techniques, including enamelling, can take decades to master, so it’s maybe only recently that I’ve developed the attention span for it!”

Asked about her favourite part of the job, she says there are too many things to mention. However the studio itself, located in the old Templeton Carpet Factory in Glasgow’s East End, is just one of the perks.

“I feel incredibly lucky to be able to come into such a huge, spacious workshop, with such fantastic views over Glasgow Green, to spend my working hours in such a satisfyingly peaceful but productive place,” she says. “It’s a great combination of methodically layering enamel whilst listening to the radio and chatting to lovely colleagues.”

Sally’s days are varied, since the team works on numerous projects while also continuously producing dials for customers’ current orders.

“There are usually several projects in the pipeline, so it makes the days interesting. It’s also really great to be in an environment that supports us all in the advancement of our technical skills,” she says.

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SALLY INSPECTS A DIAL AS IT COOLS FROM THE KILN

“it’s brilliant to be aware of and to be involved in the design process”

Although Sally's course introduced her to enamelling, her focus throughout her studies fell more on different creative techniques traditionally less associated with jewellery making. “I was more attracted to methods such as welding and aluminium casting,” she explains.

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MEET THE MAKER - SALLY MORRISON

One day of the week stands out from the rest, though, with the presence of a favourite four-legged friend. “Thursdays deserve a particular mention, as that’s when [fellow enameller] Morna’s whippet Ari joins us in the studio. It’s a weekly treat.”

Sally’s work does not always mean being confined to the studio, however: you’ll find her manning the anOrdain stand at watch fairs, or out and about meeting other craftspeople anOrdain collaborates with. “Occasionally being able to go to new and interesting places is a big privilege,” she says. “I love being able to introduce anOrdain to new people, as well as meet existing customers who are already aware of us and enthusiastic about what we do.”

MORNA WITH ARI IN THE ENAMEL STUDIO

Sally’s time at anOrdain has also led her to be part of some of the company’s exciting and ground-breaking developments. In 2019, the anOrdain enamelling team accidentally discovered a new method – fumé.

Translating to mean "smoked", fumé enamel does what it says on the tin, producing a hazily gradated and iridescent dial. Sally explains how the happy accident occurred. “All three of us on the enamelling team figured it out together,” she says.

ABOVE: A FUMÉ DIAL ENTERS THE KILN OPPOSITE: SALLY ENAMELS A PLUM FUME DIAL

“We were attempting to enamel on silver blanks instead of our usual copper, and we were all encountering the same problem. The silver tended to warp upwards so that the dial was convex. This defect meant that after grinding the enamel back, there was an area at the centre of the dial where the enamel was thinner, and it created a fade to the outer edge. We worked alongside the designers to figure out how to turn this serendipitous effect into something we could recreate.”

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LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

After extensive research and practice, the team mastered the art of fumé, and the resulting enamel dial – initially featured on the Model 2 – became the first of its kind in the world.

As with any role, however, the anOrdain enameller recognises that the job can sometimes present the team with more testing moments.

“Rather than any singular challenge, the process of making the dials themselves presents a steady flow of small challenges,” she says.

“Sometimes, the enamel will behave unexpectedly, or the pad printer will act up in some inexplicable way.”

Although she may encounter bumps along the way, Sally explains that each one brings with it a silver lining and, in the long-term, can be beneficial for her and the team. “We’re constantly trying to apply our skills in new ways to increasingly complex designs, which often brings a complete shakeup of our processes,” she says. “Addressing these challenges, though, incrementally advances our understanding of this esoteric craft and so, for that reason, it’s one of the most satisfying aspects of the job.”

ABOVE: SALLY OPERATES THE PAD PRINTER OPPOSITE: METALWORK - SOLDERING DIAL FEET

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PARISIAN BLUE The rich dial colours of the Model 1 exude tradition, while maintaining a distinctly contemporary design language.

And each colour has a story to tell.

Hannah Forsyth goes deep on one of our core colours: Parisian Blue.

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LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

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PARISIAN BLUE

What is your favourite Paris street? Everyone has one. The most popular with visitors to the French capital include Avenue de Champs Elysees, Boulevard Saint Michel and Rue de Rivoli, and their replica street signs hang on the walls of tourists from all over the world.

PARISIAN BLUE DIAL WITH NUMERAL LAYER PRINTED

Paris is renowned for its majestic edifices – the Eiffel Tower, SacréCœur Basilica and Notre Dame Cathedral come to mind instantly – but the city’s ubiquitous symbol hangs on the corner of every rue. The unique design of the street sign includes the number of the city district (Arrondissement), the name of the thoroughfare and often also a biographical reference.

So, on the sign for the Allee Maria Callas, we learn that we are in the 16th Arrondissement and that she was an artiste lyrique who lived from 1923-1977. A few blocks away, on the Avenue Victor Hugo (1802-1885), we are told that he was ‘Ecrivain, Poete et Homme Politique’ – writer, poet and politician. Sometimes, an air of mystery is allowed to persist so that, in the 4th Arrondissement, we must wonder who the bad boys were who gave their name to Rue des Mauvais Garçons.

RUE CONTÉ 3RD ARRONDISSEMENT, PARIS

This information presents itself in distinct white letters on a resonant blue field, within a green frame – a combination that first adorned the city’s buildings and lampposts in the 1840s. Each and every sign embodies the city's heritage, while the inky colouring of the enamelled plates exudes the contemporary style synonymous with the French capital. anOrdain’s Model 1 series pays its own homage with the Parisian Blue, using an enamel from Nouvelle-Aquitaine – a region in the southwest corner of the country with strong links to the enamelling world.

In its modern form, Nouvelle-Aquitaine consists of the ancient regions of Aquitaine, Poitou Charentes and Limousin, the former epicentre of champleve enamel. During the 12th century, Limoges, the capital of Limousin, was filled with enamelling workshops.

Already acquainted with the region's dyes through centuries of creating religious manuscripts, local craftspeople produced vast quantities of some of the finest and most famed enamel in the world.

‘Parisian Blue’, therefore, seems a fitting name for an enamel that is embedded in the traditions of French crafts.

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LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

There are no short cuts: the powdered enamel needs to be of an even, consistent fineness in order to achieve a smooth, uniform texture and tone when applied to the dial.

Once ground, the enamel powder is washed to remove any impurities.

It is common practice for factories to use porcelain balls in the initial treatment of the enamel. However, these balls are liable to degradation during the factory treatment, and small fragments of porcelain can make their way into the enamel. Rinsing removes these and any other contaminants before use. Once washed, the enamel is applied to the dial with a paintbrush while still wet, and is subsequently left to air dry before being fired in the kiln, fusing it with a glossy finish.

THE MODEL 1 PARISIAN BLUE WITH GREY SUEDE STRAP

Although evocative of Parisian boulevards in its finished form, when the enamel arrives at the studio its shade is closer to ultramarine. Such variation in tone is not unusual, however. Often, powdered enamel appears lighter in colour than its final post-firing shade and, in some cases, the enamel powder looks almost white before the firing process transforms it.

Adding to the je ne sais quoi of the Parisian Blue’s allure is the enamel’s unique nature. Known as a semi-opaque enamel, it is neither transparent nor opaque, meaning that the enamel holds a degree of translucence. This semi-transparency allows for the depth of colour present in its finished form.

Parisian Blue is more than simply a dial colour. It’s a connection to France’s incredible craft heritage, evoking the inimitable style and spirit of the City of Light. As Humphrey Bogart so famously said: we’ll always have Paris.

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LIQUID TIME

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We take our linear perception of time for granted, but what happens when it turns to quicksilver? As a structure that dictates global everyday life, it turns out time is surprisingly malleable, though seemingly not without repercussion.

Words by Eve Livingston Illustrations by Claire Harrup

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When Founding Father Benjamin Franklin wrote to the Journal of Paris with a new idea in 1784, it was with his tongue firmly in his cheek. Unexpectedly awoken at 6am, the US Ambassador to France was astonished to see the sun already in the sky, hours before the typical day usually started. He speculated that it would surely save money to rise with natural light and go to bed earlier, rather than burning lamps and candles in the dark.

In a jibe at the so-called laziness of the French, he wrote: “I considered that, if I had not been awakened so early in the morning, I should have slept six hours longer by the light of the sun, and in exchange have lived six hours the following night by candle-light.”

It wouldn’t happen in his lifetime, but it turned out Franklin was on to something. After a few unsuccessful proposals throughout the subsequent century, daylight saving time (DST) as we know it today, where the clocks leap forward by an hour in spring before returning once more in autumn, came into practice in Germany at the start of the First World War. The German government introduced the measure to conserve fuel by cutting the nation's use of artificial lighting. Britain, France and their allies soon adopted the practice and the idea quickly became widespread.

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LIQUID TIME

But in 2019, just 105 years later, the European Parliament voted to scrap DST by 2021 – a decision based on evidence that directly links the changing of the clocks with poor health outcomes and a move that leaves the UK with a decision to make about whether or not to follow suit.

Findings concerning mental well-being, sleep deprivation, strokes and even heart attacks are amongst a growing body of research suggesting that clock changes might do more harm than good to our health. The European Parliament’s own report references symptoms akin to jet lag in the days following the transition, including “fatigue, dizziness and lack of attention”, but primary research suggests even more serious consequences.

A 2016 study in Danish hospitals found that the number of people diagnosed with depression increases immediately following the transition from daylight saving time to Standard Time, and a 2008 paper found a link with increased suicide rates in the weeks following the same change.

And it’s not just our mental health that might suffer. Swedish researchers have found a 5% increase in heart attack risk immediately following the spring-time clock change. It turns out that waking up earlier than usual puts increased pressure on our cardiovascular systems at a time of the day when they are least stable and most vulnerable to strain.

For many of these reasons, an end to daylight saving time is widely supported across Europe. A 2018 consultation on the subject yielded the highest ever number of responses (4.6 million), with 84% of respondents in favour of the change. The Parliament itself voted in a landslide, with 410 supporting the change against just 192 opponents.

But, despite the research illustrating the negative consequences of DST, there is also evidence for its strengths. A 2012 report by the Institute for Study of Labour found a 10% increase in calories burned when people were able to use their extra daylight hours for sport and exercise. And whether DST has a positive or negative overall effect on road accidents has also split opinions - while traffic accidents tend to spike following the spring transition, some studies estimate that switching to daylight saving time all year round could save around 366 lives annually.

The debate surrounding DST has pulled the very nature of time into sharp focus. For many of us, changing our clocks twice a year has become habitual, just something to be done, and is often complied with without question. But what happens when we take a step back and examine time and our acceptance of it as a solid structure more generally?

Time zones, for example, are systems rarely called into question. We accept as fact that most of our favourite European holiday destinations are an hour ahead of us here in the UK while, if we look west, New York is a comfortable five hours behind. So long have time zones been a part of global existence that it can be easy to forget that these, too, are susceptible to human alteration, and can often cause equally, if not more, drastic repercussions as DST.

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In India, the seventh-largest country in the world at 3,000km wide, Indian Standard Time is a legacy of British rule, introduced as a means of building unity across the nation. But a paper by Maulik Jagnani of Cornell University has found that, for children in the most western regions of the country, a standardised time zone might entrench inequality. In these areas, reports Jagnani, children begin the school day at the same time but sleep less than their easterly counterparts owing to a later sunset. Such sleep deprivation ultimately results in the completion of fewer years of education and a failure to make it to the end of their overall schooling. This disparity is a phenomenon especially pronounced amongst poorer families due to their limited resources for creating good sleep environments.

Similarly, hidden consequences arose when the Polynesian island nation Samoa changed time zones in 2011 to synchronise with neighbouring countries, Australia and New Zealand. Skipping an entire day, the island nation jumped from Thursday 29th December to Saturday 31st 2011 to boost economic productivity with their main antipodean trading partners. On a personal level, Samoans widely welcomed the move which benefitted those with relatives on neighbouring islands - no longer was it necessary to battle with extraordinary time differences to keep up with loved ones.

On a wider scale, only a few minor anomalies occurred, such as those born on 30th December who had every right to be disgruntled after being robbed of a birthday, and safeguards were required to ensure payment for the missing day for shift-based workers.

Overall, however, the move proved positive for Samoa and is a modern example that lays bare the malleability of time, something we often take as gospel. There is, after all, no international law governing the swapping of time zones - just our collective agreement to structure our lives around them.

Although now officially out of the EU, the UK is not immune to the repercussions of scrapping DST. While the coronavirus pandemic has put the EU’s plans on hold, if taken up again, the UK has a decision to make, with much of its focus falling on what it would mean for Northern Ireland. If the UK chooses to diverge from the EU’s path and uphold DST, Northern Ireland faces falling out of sync with its Irish neighbour for six months of the year, creating the anomaly of two time zones within a small island.

But there are also specific considerations for Scotland, the UK’s most northerly nation and one which, according to a

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LIQUID TIME

YouGov poll, favours the status quo. To abolish DST would leave some northern areas without sunrise until 10am, causing concern for farmers who highlight the risk of heavy vehicles on the road in darkness, and parents, who worry about children going to school before sunrise.

Far from just an extra or lost hour of sleep, then, daylight saving time has far-reaching implications for energy use, the economy, national unity, trade, education and health. “All the difficulty will be in the first two or three days; after which the reformation will be as natural and easy as the present irregularity,” Benjamin Franklin wrote in his 1784 letter. Now, 237 years on, Europe and the UK are about to discover whether a similar transition will be so smooth.

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TOM’S WORKSHOP Sculptor and maker Tom Harrup is busy crafting anOrdain’s new studio furniture at his workshop in Lenzie.

We sent photographer Julia Sundermeyer to take a peek into his world.

LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

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TOM’S WORKSHOP

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TOM’S WORKSHOP

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TOM’S WORKSHOP

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POLYTUNNEL VISION The early days of the pandemic forced people everywhere to ponder anew the spaces in which they spend their time. At anOrdain, this inspired a new project – one that affirms our philosophy of combining design and manufacturing under one roof. Erlend Firth tells the story.

LETTERS FROM ASSYNT

In February of 2020, I found myself with Lewis in a commercial fruit market in the East End of Glasgow. Confident that ‘five-aday’ was all the team needed to fend off the virus rumoured to be sweeping the globe, we pointed at crates of melons and trays of oranges and had burly men add them to a pallet truck already stacked high with vitamins. Driving the spoils of fruit back to the workshop, we discussed an impressive pile of Maris Pipers we’d seen (taller than a house!) and the immense steel and brick structure it sat underneath. We talked about the convergence of horticulture and architecture and of Lewis’s latest ambition.

The idea for a purpose-built factory for watchmaking had been forming for some time. Stemming from his personal desire for a polytunnel, Lewis theorised that if anOrdain designed the working environment around the team’s needs in the same way conditions are tailored to encourage growth in polytunnels, we could yield superior results. During this conversation, we realised we shared a common connection, and a seed was sown. By the end of an uncertain year, Lewis had secured a plot of land in the Cathcart area of Glasgow’s southside.

“...in the same way conditions are tailored to encourage growth in polytunnels, we could yield superior results”

The shared connection was around an architecture firm called Reiach and Hall, and more specifically, their director - Neil Gillespie. In the early 2000s, Lewis worked under Neil’s tutelage while studying Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art. According to Lewis, Neil was more than patient with his unpledged approach to art school.

At around the same time and in a far-flung archipelago, my father had tasked Neil with the regeneration of our small village's unlikely but esteemed art gallery. It sparked a passion for minimalist architecture unlikely of a child under ten; I obsessed over architectural drawings my Dad took home, and hid in corners and behind curtains to eavesdrop on conversations between the pair.

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THE PIER ARTS CENTRE, STROMNESS, ORKNEY REIACH AND HALL ARCHITECTS

POLYTUNNEL VISION

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DEVELOPMENT DRAWINGS BY REIACH AND HALL FOR 'THE FACTORY' SHOWING SITE LAYOUT AND EXTERNAL CIRCULATION

POLYTUNNEL VISION

Lewis contacted Neil, and luckily, he was happy to take on the project. In the same way that Reiach and Hall approached the design of the gallery, Neil and his team engaged our own to build a holistic picture of anOrdain. Reacting to our requirements regarding both facilities and company culture, the proposed building features generous work and social spaces and a biodiverse garden with ample bike storage. As a further boon to the environment, it’s within a 30-minute walk for around twothirds of the team.

The plot itself is long and narrow and tapers to a triangular point at the west elevation. To the north lies a wooded embankment, separating the land from a local railway line. The embankment continues east and drops to the White Cart Water, a tributary to Glasgow’s River Clyde. Beyond the south elevation lies a varied townscape of semi-detached houses, allotments and light industrial units.

“Reflecting the shape of the land the linear plan feeds into the production sequence”

Reflecting the shape of the land, the linear plan feeds into the production sequence. Three workshops sit along the south elevation of the building, providing dedicated spaces for light metalworking, enamelling, and watchmaking. Along the centre of the plan, a corridor connects these manufacturing rooms with the ancillary spaces. At the western gable, a bright entrance and reception area greet you, while at the eastern end, a double-height staff amenity, pantry and meeting space open out to a private garden.

Setting design precedence for the factory is The Pier Arts Centre. The gallery, located in my hometown of Stromness, Orkney, houses a collection of British modern and contemporary art, wholly contained within a former merchant’s house and converted coal shed prior to Neil’s intervention. The challenge for the architect was to link the two separate buildings, expanding the gallery space. His solution, realised in 2007, was a glass and zinc structure that mimics the other sheds and fisherman's houses that line the town's foreshore, their gables to the sea braced for bad weather.

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The essence of the two buildings is similar - a linear plan contained beneath a simple double-pitched roof form, each echoing their surroundings. Weaving through Reiach and Hall’s work is the idea of the building as a collector and emitter of light. This is manifested in The Pier Arts Centre by a frosted glass facade through which light spills during the day and at night softly emanates from. In the factory, this concept is developed through translucent sinusoidal sheeting, often used in industrial buildings and (funnily enough) polytunnels.

LEFT: EARLY DEVELOPMENT SKETCHES BY NEIL GILESPIE FOR 'THE FACTORY ' OPPOSITE: RENDER OF ENAMEL STUDIO BY REIACH AND HALL ARCHITECTS

Still obsessing over plans but no longer surreptitiously sitting in on meetings, I have this time had the pleasure of following the development first-hand. The proposal was submitted to Glasgow's planning department and was long pending before approval was finally granted in February of 2023. The wait coincided with climbing costs of building materials and a burgeoning team in an already overflowing workshop. As a result, we've signed a lease on a second unit to temporarily house our new crew and additional machinery. Though this takes us further away from our goal of manufacturing under one roof in the shorter term, it allows us extra time for costs to (hopefully) stabilise before transplanting ourselves to the southside, where we can test Lewis's theory.

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THERMAL BLUING Thermal bluing steel is a process mastered by all of the watchmakers at anOrdain, and one that requires an eagle eye and heaps of patience. The result is a handset that is not only decoratively finished, but also protected from oxidisation and rust. Hannah Forsyth talks to anOrdain watchmaker Chris Roussias about the process.

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The practice of bluing steel through heat has long been associated with fine watchmaking. In great pocket watches from figures like John Arnold and Abraham-Louis Breguet, blued movement screws and hands were said to ‘add a little bit of the watchmaker to the watch’ due to the added care required. Today, it’s a common feature in high-level artisanal watchmaking.

However, it’s also something many brands have adopted on a more superficial level, chemically bluing components to imply high-quality craftsmanship at the level of mass-production.

The effect is, sadly, nothing like bluing through heat treatment. The chemical dye sits flatly on the surface of the metal, rather than producing the rich, petrol-like qualities of heat bluing, while also missing out on the other benefits of thermal treatment.

“Tempering steel to blue has two practical advantages,” anOrdain watchmaker Chris Roussias explains. “Firstly, it gives the metal a good balance between hardness and strength and, secondly, the oxide layer that forms helps to protect the steel from rust.” For those reasons, he says, bluing the carbon steel of wristwatch mainsprings would’ve been particularly useful before modern alloys became available.

ABOVE: MODEL 2 DEVELOPMENT HANDS IN BLUE OPPOSITE: CHRIS STAKING HANDS

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The time required to complete the thermal bluing process depends on the size of the metal workpiece, and there are several ways to apply the heat.

“In order of speed,” Chris says, “a traditional alcohol lamp is the slowest, a gas torch a little faster and an electric hot plate the fastest.”

“for an aesthetic purpose... it’s best to judge the colour by eye”

Although the process is swift once in motion, rigorous preparation is required for bluing to be successful, and many factors can cause problems.

“The steel needs to be in a decent state of polish and must be perfectly clean.

The slightest trace of oil, dust or dirt will show up as an imperfect spot,” Chris explains.

For the metal to turn blue, it must reach approximately 280 - 300 degrees Celsius. However, as different alloys vary in the temperature at which they blue, Chris explains that “for an aesthetic purpose such as heat-treating watch hands, it’s best to judge the colour by eye.”

Before it reaches its final inky hue, the steel travels through a spectrum of colours. As its temperature increases, the colour of the metal moves from a soft straw to brown, then purple, then finally blue.

In order to evenly distribute the heat, the steel components are placed on a bed of brass filings. Once blued using the gas torch, they must be carefully checked for any imperfections.

To add to the intricacy of the process, the other, potentially most crucial challenge, is to achieve a uniform colour between matching parts. “Care and concentration are needed to ensure that each hour, minute and seconds hand - all a different shape and size - will match one another when eventually installed in the finished watch,” Chris explains.

Unlike with enamel, any flaws that do appear can easily be resolved, as the steel part can be polished clean, and the process started from scratch.

OPPOSITE: THERMAL BLUING STAGES MODEL 1 HANDS

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RAW STEEL BEFORE TREATMENT

LIGHT STRAW 220-235°C

DARK STRAW 235-270°C

PURPLE 270-280°C

DARK BLUE 280-300°C

LIGHT BLUE 300°C +

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MOVING WITH THE TIMES The pandemic has left a dramatic mark across all sectors, but certain industries have required more change than many.

Eve Livingston explores the ways in which the dance industry has redefined movement in a time shaped by stillness.

Illustrations by Suds MacKenna

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While the coronavirus pandemic has been a challenge in all sectors, its lockdowns and social distancing shuttering large parts of the economy, the arts – and dance – have especially suffered.

On an economic level, the survival of many companies, theatres and performers still hangs in the balance. However, on a more conceptual level, the pandemic and its accompanying physical restrictions have presented dancers and choreographers with the opportunity to reassess their relationship with movement and to ask how, when there are have been so few outlets for its expression, the medium might adapt in order to reflect this changed world.

From the outset of the pandemic, choreographers were quick to incorporate these emerging themes into their work; dance, after all, is about communal experience and the sharing of stories.

At the Washington Ballet’s virtual gala in June 2020, dancers held up signs emblazoned with positive messages: “hopeful;” “determined;” “we are together”.

But in a clash of the conceptual and the literal, and despite attempts to follow still-developing Covid-safe guidance, a number of cast and crew later tested positive for the virus – a reminder that the power of movement is not always a match for the power of a pandemic.

Yet, the sector has persevered, all the while reckoning with how it might turn restriction into expression and safely reflect the moment.

In one example of pandemic-inspired innovation, Misty Copeland of the American Ballet Theatre spearheaded the Swans for Relief fundraiser in which dancers in isolation across the world each performed the “dying swan” to raise money for the dance sector - apart but as one.

Dancers and choreographers the world over also had to respond to the pandemic not only artistically but logistically. Without audiences or venues, how would performance continue?

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For many, social media provided the answer, with artists filming or live-streaming solo performances to their followers. Broadway star Robbie Fairchild enlisted his flatmate, choreographer Chris Jarosz, for his Instagram #roofseries in which the duo performed on top of their Manhattan apartment block.

“I like to think of dance like she’s my oldest friend who I turn to in times of my greatest joys and greatest pains,” Fairchild wrote in one caption. “She’s that friend that you want everyone you know to meet. So, I’m sharing her with you.”

Others went even further to share dance more widely than they had previously been able to, with online classes and resources becoming available to the public over lockdown in a variety of disciplines and genres.

That lockdown provided space to think differently about dance and how it can be shared points to potential optimism for its future. While a post-pandemic recovery will be deeply challenging, it might also present opportunities.

In a keynote address at the Beijing Dance Academy Forum in October 2020, Dr Lise Uytterhoeven, Director of Dance Studies at London Contemporary Dance School, focused on how the institution had adapted its teaching provision in line with pandemic restrictions. “[There was] an increased emphasis on creativity, independent learning and intrinsic motivation,” she said. “From restriction can come the greatest creativity.”

“I like to think of dance like she’s my oldest friend... that friend you want everyone you know to meet” ROBBIE FAIRCHILD

Disabled dancers, dance fans, and those with lower incomes would agree; the relative ease of online classes and performances over lockdown may very well have ushered in a new era of equity in access to dance and the arts, which many will fight to maintain.

Of course, ‘movement’ has more than one meaning, evoking connotations of both individual physical actions and, more widely, collective social change and protest. And while lockdown restricted the physical and creative movement of the dance and art sectors, it found room to flourish in other areas from the mandated stillness.

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Black Lives Matter protests dominated headlines throughout the summer of 2020, before the autumn saw Nigeria’s End SARS movement against police brutality attract international attention. At the start of the year, the election of a new US President sparked protests that culminated in riots at the heart of American government, the Capitol Building. How have dancers and choreographers married the movement of society with the physical movement inherent in their work?

“An artist’s duty is to reflect the times” NINA SIMONE

“An artist’s duty is to reflect the times,” Los Angeles dancer and choreographer Mike Tyus wrote in the caption to his piece Reflect the Times on Instagram, quoting legendary Black singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone. The piece is set not to music but an audio interview of Simone and finishes with the above-quoted line.

Dancers of all races move defiantly and fluidly one-by-one. While never explicitly referencing the wave of Black Lives Matter protests sweeping the globe, they deftly capture the social and political mood through their physical movement.

After such a period paradoxically characterised by both unprecedented restriction and an outpouring of expression, what does the future of dance look like post-pandemic?

In a contribution to Dance Magazine, Indira Goodwine, Dance Program Director at the New England Foundation for the Arts, argued for taking this opportunity to radically reimagine the dance world and discipline.

"I've been hearing the words 'rebuild' and 'new normal' a lot,” she writes. "I’m personally not interested in rebuilding things that were already broken, or establishing a new normal, because that re-establishes complacency around hierarchy. We need to create new spaces that give artists the opportunity to thrive on their own terms and have agency, and not have to conform to a system.”

Practically, the dance world has economic and physical challenges to grapple with in recovering from the pandemic, and its members will have to think creatively about resources and partnership.

The pandemic laid the groundwork for artists to support one another in myriad ways, for emergency fundraisers to be launched, for innovative thinking about how to share performance in the absence of an audience.

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Perhaps a post-pandemic dance world can take the best of these responses – accessibility, creativity and teamwork – and use them to build an inclusive and sustainable sector and discipline.

Artistically, the pandemic could well have sown the seeds of new forms of expression and movement. Enforced isolation has seen dancers call on their deepest reserves of discipline and creativity, finding new ways of integrating their art within their homes and lives and adapt their bodies to different spaces and conditions.

Choreographers have drawn inspiration from restriction and turned social movements into physical movement. While much of the world stood still, dancers and choreographers found ways to move. Doing so may have shaped their practice forever.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT When we’re not making watches, we’re making food. Here, for your delectation, are a couple of much-loved recipes from the anOrdain team.

Illustrations by Claire Harrup

The general idea behind curing is that you take raw meat and - with the addition of salt, time, and the right environment - preserve it, intensifying the flavour in the process. I’ve found that, as long as you roughly follow the instructions, it’s relatively easy - and very rewarding.

The practice also incorporates three things I’m rather fond of: design, building, and eating. You can cure sausages or whole pieces of meat, but the latter is easier, so we’ll start there.

HOME CURING Lewis Heath, founder Rather like someone in a far-off country learning about America through episodes of Friends or Frasier, I’ve picked up a love of many things Italian through one of my favourite forms of escapism: the noughties detective series Inspector Montalbano. Whilst the Commissario himself might not make Salumi, his love of food resonated with me. After a considerable amount of time spent wearing linen and eating sardines and pasta, a book on making Italian cured meats caught my attention.

My favourite piece of meat to cure has been pig’s cheek, or 'guanciale'. It’s used to make carbonara in Italy instead of bacon and has the most beautifully rich, salty, fatty flavour.

It’s a cheap cut if you can find it, but my local butcher didn’t even know what it was, so I get mine from a butcher in Yorkshire who specialises in charcuterie. As with all curing and, indeed, cooking, the quality of the raw ingredients is important. Rare breed pork grows more slowly, but it tastes better.

My experience here does not qualify me to write on the subject with any authority, so if you’re interested in doing this at home and don’t fancy getting botulism, I’d highly recommend the book Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing by Michael Ruhlman.

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The salt cure is a mixture of kosher salt and Prague Powder no.2 (sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate), plus any seasoning you want in there. I recommend getting a pre-mixed salt that already has the right amount of nitrite and nitrate, as it makes life a little easier.

I built an oak box with hooks on the lid to hang the meat, but I’ve also kept my study unheated so that the temperature never gets above 15 degrees between October and March.

Before placing the meat within the curing chamber, make a note of the weight. Taking a record of this is quite important as you know it is ready once a third of the weight is lost.

The amount of salt required is calculated simply as a percentage of the weight of the meat. Once the salt is measured out, rub it in, making sure to cover the entire piece.

Then, wrap the salted meat with cling film or vacuum pack and leave it in the fridge for about a week, turning every day or two.

You can place the meat inside the chamber after rinsing and patting dry, but there are also two optional steps I'd recommend here.

The simplest is to coat the meat with ground black pepper; it discourages bad bacteria and gives the finished product a bit of a kick.

When done, remove from the wrapping and wash off the salt with tap water (or white wine, as the books say). The meat is now ready to be placed in a controlled environment for drying.

The other is to establish good bacteria on the surface - in this case, Penicillium nalgiovense.

The soft white layer that forms and coats the meat is very similar in smell and taste to camembert or brie. Its presence prevents the drying process from happening too quickly, as well as keeping other bad bacteria at bay.

Temperature and humidity need to be within certain limits to avoid rotting, bad bacteria and drying out too quickly. How you do this depends on your location in the world. One advantage of being in Glasgow is that the climate is similar to a dark, dank Italian cellar for most of the year.

Most people will find the simplest way of creating the right conditions is to adapt an old fridge, as the temperature needs to be between 12 and 15 degrees Centigrade. Relative humidity should be at 70%.

Controlling temperature and humidity is actually quite simple - I’ve used a device that is basically a thermometer with two power sockets connected. One plug connects to a heater, another to a cooling element (or the fridge power cable).

When the temperature goes above the programmed limit, one socket turns on, and vice versa when it dips below.

There is an identical device for controlling the humidity that features a humidifier and dehumidifier. Additionally, a couple of computer fans are also needed to keep the air moving.

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SLOW SLAW Nicky Faill, enameller Whether it's for a sunny back garden feast or an indoor 'barbeque' that seemed like a good idea on that sunny Tuesday but has taken place on the inevitably rainy Saturday, coleslaw has its own special place on every BBQ table!

centre - if you don't do this, you’ll get a very wet, watery slaw. Then thinly slice - about 2mm thick - giving you C shape pieces of cucumber and add to the mixing bowl.

3. Cover your sliced veg with all the salt, and then mix it, ensuring the salt covers all the veg. Loosely cover with the tea towel and leave for at least 2 hours at room temperature. Occasionally mix.

This recipe is my go-to base for a slaw that can be easily tweaked to suit the accompanying dishes and the time you have to prepare it.

4. While the salt is working its magic on the veg, make the dressing. In a bowl, mix the mayo, crème fraîche, sugar and vinegar until combined.

Being a cured slaw, it’s not fast by any means.

A small batch can be ready in half an hour, or you can take your time and let it do its thing for a good few hours to give you a lovely fresh, creamy texture with just the right amount of sweetness, zing and bite to it.

5. After 2 hours, the veg should be soft but still have a little bit of bite. You can leave the mixture for more or less time, depending on your preference. Once at the desired level, rinse the salt off the veg. You want to remove most of the salt but not all. Make sure to taste and not just wash all the salt away.

After you’ve tried the recipe once, please experiment - cut the veg thicker, add other ingredients, tweak the dressing. These are all great ways to adapt coleslaw to pair perfectly with whatever you’re cooking. I love it as a side on its own, atop any burger, or as a tasty extra in a lunchtime sandwich - a batch never lasts long in my fridge.

6. Now for the fun part. Using your clean tea towel, place the rinsed veg in the middle and wring out all the moisture. Do this in stages if the batch is too big for your cloth. Then, return to your empty mixing bowl. You want to remove as much moisture as possible to ensure you don't end up with a watery slaw!

Method 1. Core and thinly slice the red cabbage to a thickness of around 3mm.

Top and half the onion, then slice into semi-circles as thin as you can and place all into the large mixing bowl.

7. All that’s left to do is pour over the dressing and give a good stir, coating everything in the sweet, sharp liquid.

Have fun and play around with adding different vegetables, vinegars or citrus fruits. Use this as a guide and enjoy or wing it and find what works for you!

2. Cut the ends off the cucumber, then half lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the soft

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Designed and published by anOrdain Set in Lacuna and Assynt by Möbel Type Printed in the UK by Ashley House Printed on Fedrigoni FSC® Mix papers from responsible sources

Assynt is the spiritual home of anOrdain. Situated in the north-west of Scotland, it is the region – or parish – in which Loch an Ordain sits nestled within the wilds of the Highlands, and it’s where our watches were first conceived.

Famed for its natural and rugged beauty, Assynt offers an escape from the complexities of modern living and a place to contemplate the simple wonders of nature. It has a long and fascinating history, and here at anOrdain, we feel it echoes the values expressed in our watches’ beautiful dials, unique craftsmanship and reliable movements.

While there are many publications entitled Letters From..., the choice for our title drew particular influence from W. H. Auden and Louis MacNeice’s 1937 travel book, Letters from Iceland. In the summer of 1936, the poets travelled to the remote Nordic country to escape the turmoils of mainland Europe and seek solace in the pastoral Icelandic landscape.

Assynt – sometimes described as Europe’s last wilderness – echoes Iceland in its untamed, yet comforting beauty and remains a place of refuge during turbulent times.